WE encourage people to install water butts to collect roof runoff for use in garden and grass watering. While there is controversy over water charges, we should still be conserving water and using untreated water on garden plants.

This is being encouraged to retain nutrients from composted plants within our gardens.

Develop historical walks.

With several historic sites around Portmarnock the T.T. committee plan to develop a walking map and booklet..

PCA NEWS APRIL 2018

Airport Runway

We are very grateful to our Councillor Brian McDonagh forraising the matter of the proposed appointment of FingalCounty Council as the competent authority to monitor aircraftnoise at Dublin Airport. The matter was raised at the HowthMalahide Area Committee meeting. The Minister will shortlyreceive a letter from the group expressing their dismay atthe action of the Minister. As you know Fingal County Councilwho are excellent in most of the services they provide are themost unsuitable organisation to undertake the monitoring.

Bird Boxes and Benches

The Men’s Shed have produced excellent bird boxes whichwe are in the process of distributing throughout the village toencourage more wild bird nesting in our area. The majority ofthe boxes have been given to the schools with the remainderbeing given to local householders. (See picture).It is important to remember that if you have been feedingour wild birds through the winter you should continue to doso in the summer and autumn to maintain numbersWe have also funded some benches which will be installed inthe centre of the village in the next few weeks. This work hasbeen made possible by the grant and prize we received fromthe Tidy Towns Organisation.

Shelter at the Beach Entrance

Work on the renovation of the shelter at the beach shouldbe under way by the time you are reading this. The concretework should be completed rapidly after which landscapeimprovements will be undertaken. Hopefully everything willbe ready for the summer season.

Railway Station

A group from the PCA met with the representatives fromIarnrod Eireann to enquire about improvements that areneeded to the station and surrounds. We had a goodmeeting and are hopeful of a positive response. Amongthe matters raised were ; Graffiti under the bridge and onwalls at the Dublin end of the platform, planting of bulbsof the embankment behind the inward platform, provisionof planters between the shelters for summer and autumnflowers. The surveyor also mentioned that he would addressimprovements to the handrails and boundary fence on theoutward platform. We also looked at a general tidy up in thearea at the ticket office.If you see any urgent issue that should be brought tothe attention of Irish Rail contact the station master atMalahide Railway Station 01 – 8286960. He is responsible forPortmarnock station

Wildflower Meadow in the Park at the rear of Woodlandsand Ardilaun

The Parks Department will be commencing a programme toestablish wildflower meadows in this area over the springand summer. A small number of football pitches at the PSLCend will be retained and the remainder left over to nature.Walkers will be accommodated through the provision of cutpathways. The PCA are hopeful that we can establish naturalwoodland in parts of this area in the future.

Velvet Strand

Despite all the inclement weather we have experienced inthe past couple of months the beach is in excellent condition.After the snow and storms in early March there was a lot ofsand movement and exposure of rock. While this erosion mayseem to be damaging it has no real long term consequences.The sand is removed at one point on the coast but it isdeposited elsewhere. You will have also noted that therewas a lot of deposition of seaweed and dead fish after thestorms. This material will rot and provide organic matterand nutrients for sea scutch and Marram grass to establishand form new dunes. Unfortunately along with the naturalmaterials deposited you will also see lots of plastic, productsused to clean teeth and to apply cosmetics. We have got tofind other ways to make ourselves beautiful!.Beach Cleaning commences on Saturday 14th April. 10.00amat the Kiosk. All are welcome

IVY

People have varying opinions about Ivy. Many think it isdamaging to walls and it will allow dampness into buildings.They believe it is unsightly and an indication that a person isnot “taking care” of their property.If you look at old stone walls there is no doubt that it getsinto old lime mortar and will eventually cause the wallsto fall as the stems of the ivy expand. On old mature treesit increases the load the trunk of the tree has to bear andmakes them more susceptible to blowing over in the wind.Many of the trees on the backroads around Portmarnockappear vulnerable to me on superficial observation while Idrive by.There are however, great benefits to having Ivy. It is a nativeplant and plays host to large numbers of insects and otherbugs. It is therefore a great source of juicy meals for many ofour small birds. The Holly Blue, a charming small blue wingedbutterfly feeds on the nectar of both holly and ivy flowers.I see them in my garden every year. It is very unlikely thativy will damage modern walls as it finds it very difficult topenetrate cement plaster.I cut it back every 3 years so that it does not become tooheavy a load for the wall to bear. In conclusion it is not goodon old stone walls but is hugely beneficial in our gardens andmuch prettier to look when compared to concrete blocks(Pat Suttle 087 248 6287).

Contacting the PCA:

If you wish to contact the PCA onany issues in our community or volunteer for any of ourcommittees why not call us 087 248 6287 (leave a message)or email portmarnock1@gmail.com. You can visit ourwebsite/Facebook at www.portmarnock.org

NEW : PCA Blog - News and Events in Portmarnock

Follow our blog by clicking Here ( to go to the Tumblr site ) or click on the PCA Blog link above

If You have a news item, picture , an upcoming event or a story that you think is relevant to Local residents you can submit a post via the blog ( Posts are subject to Moderator approval before been published)

You are all very welcome to this AGM. The following is a summary of events, projects and ongoing work of the PCA in 2017.

Committee

The executive committee met on 10 occasions in the past year. Current projects and planned activities were discussed. We would like to thank the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links for their assistance in providing a meeting room for us through the past year. More importantly we would like to thank them for providing coffee and scones on Saturday mornings after our Beach Cleans. They are now catering for up to 20 people on occasions.

LIDL

The first event of 2017 was the open event hosted by LIDL in the White Sands Hotel. The object of the event was to introduce themselves to the people of Portmarnock. I had a meeting with Conor McCauley of McCallion Group who were the contractors constructing the supermarket for LIDL. An agreement was reached that McCallions would repair the roof of the PAC Hall in return for rights to park their trucks on the PAC Hall site. Construction took c. 26 weeks and the store finally opened in August. Because the site was relatively small inevitably there was some friction between the immediate neighbours and the contractor. However the project was completed and the finish on the building seems to be acceptable to most people. McCallions did an excellent job in repairing the roof of the PAC Hall, cleaning the site and removing the rubbish from the interior of the building. My last contact with LIDL was a request on behalf of the Village Traders Association to participate in Christmas decoration of the village. They have agreed to put in a Christmas feature which will balance with the Christmas outside Jus de Vine. My thanks to Connor McCauley of McCallions and to Aoife Clarke, Head of Communications at LIDL for their assistance.

Fingal County Council

The PCA have ongoing communications with the Council on a myriad of issues. Our main point of contact is with the Parks Department based in Malahide Castle. We have had eight meeting with them in relation to Trees(mainly planting, pruning and removal), Greens, Supply of flowers and renovation projects such as the Clearing of Potato Skin Lane(in conjunction with the Pitch and Putt Club). The Council supplied the new flower boxes at the bridge which the Tidy Towns volunteers maintain. We have agreed a number of projects for 2018 including tree planting, more daffodil planting, more planters and seats at the beach promenade, new beds at the Carrickhill Heights and Carrick Court. We assist residents where they have planning issues. We assisted in resolving an issue in relation to minor alterations to the Golf Links course in February to the satisfaction of all parties We have had numerous meetings with officials in relations to maintenance operations, the new cycleway and environmental issues

Town and Village Renewal Scheme

We made a successful application for €30,000 in funding to install a series of display boards relating to The Velvet Strand sand dunes, Baldoyle Estuary Special Area of Conservation, Sluice River Marsh Natural Heritage Area, The Geology at the seashore between Portmarnock to Malahide as well as The History of Portmarnock. This project is currently underway and will be completed in May 2018. Where possible we are engaging local professional expertise to assist us.

Policing Committee

A member of the committee attends the policing committee meetings which are held in Malahide four times a year and reports back on crime statistics and issues which the Gardai feel need publicity within our community.Village Traders Association We meet regularly with the Association to coordinate our efforts in relation to local issues, especially on flower planting. I would like to congratulate Suzanne Finn and her colleagues for the excellent displays they have both in summer and at Christmas. We hope to improve the Christmas decoration in future years

FORUM

The Forum committee met in the Grand Hotel on six occasions to discuss the current situation with regard to the new runway at the Airport. In addition we attended a meeting in relation to weather and aviation and paid a visit to the IAA Air Traffic Control Centre at the Airport. We met with representatives of the Labour Party, Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Independents 4 Change in the Dail on your behalf. We would like to highlight the exceptional efforts of Clare Daly TD on behalf of all residents around the airport and to thank her for her ongoing interest in this issue.

Dublin Airport

We continue to monitor developments in relation to Dublin Airport. The situation as it now stands is –1. The passenger numbers passing through Dublin airport are likely to be just short of 30 million in 2017. Once the figures reach 32 million the Airport will be obliged to start planning to develop a third terminal.2. From a legislative/ planning viewpoint the new runway constraints limit the airport to 80 flights per night. At present there are over 100 flights per night and the DAA would like to push this figure upwards to 249 flights. 3. Transposing the EU Regulation 598/2014 into Irish Law which would result in a new noise management regime for the airport is proving very difficult to achieve. The Attorney Generals Office which advises the Minister for Transport are finding it difficult to find a legal pathway which would not cause difficulties for existing legislation already on the statute Book.4. At present the DAA are undertaking preliminary roadworks to the north and north west of the airfield which are necessary to allow for the development of the new runway. The upgrading of the roads may possibly be necessary in any case. The PCA and FORUM are maintaining a watching brief on the situation and will bring forward a set of proposals as soon as the situation becomes clear.

Irish Water

The PCA met with Irish Water on the 14th March to ensure that they were aware of our concerns in relation to the development of the waste water treatment plant opposite the Clayton Hotel on Clonshaugh Rd. Our concerns related to – a. The size of the plant – it will be catering for a population of 500,000 +b. Whether tertiary treatment could be included c. The route of the outfall pipe across the Baldoyle Estuary Special area of Conservation and any damage that might result d. The quality of the outfall water and any effects it would have on the marine environment at the outfall point which is just on the edge of deep water 6,000 metres off the Velvet Strand north of Ireland’s Eyee. Effects on the Razorclam Fishery just offshore of the Velvet Strandf. Whether there were strategies in place to remove microplastics from the treated waterA presentation by Irish water will be taking place tomorrow afternoon from 2.00 – 8.00pm. We would be very grateful if you could publicise this and ask your friends and neighbours to attend to voice our concerns.We intend meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency in the near future as they are the organisation which oversees the regulation of waste water treatment

Tidy Towns 2017

We are improving every year. In 2017 we are receiving an award as the most improved entry for Dublin. This is a great boost for all our volunteers who work throughout the year to make our village more colourful and a source of pride to all inhabitants. I would also like to commend our Beach Clean Team who clear off litter from the beach and monitor the wellbeing of the area. I would also like to repeat our thanks to the Village Traders Association for their great work. This year together with Fingal Parks Department and the Village Traders Association we – Installed new beds of herbaceous perennials Put new planters in place at the bridge Renovated numerous beds throughout the areaOrganised for the planting of daffodils – you may notice more bulbs being planted at the beach entrance and in areas planted in 2016Distributed more flowers to a larger number of estates and groups We sent a delegate to the Westport tidy towns Conference which was staged to train volunteers in how to improve existing and new projects in our towns, villages and districtsWe had 4 tidy town meetings and two filed trips to Skerries (winners in 2016)I am delighted to announce that we, along with all other Tidy town entrants have been awarded a further €3,000.00 to make further improvements in our village by the Department of Community and Rural Affairs just today.

Blue and Green Flags

Portmarnock is one of only five areas in Ireland to be awarded both a blue and green flag .This is an excellent achievement and due in great part to the sterling work of our Beach Clean Group. Graffiti I am sorry to say that I notice that the Southern Cross Monument has been defaced yet gain by graffiti. We appeal to the person involved to desist. It is an insult to the brave pioneering aviators, those who developed the idea of the monument, the artist who sculpted the piece and all the people of Portmarnock who are so proud of it. If anybody has knowledge of the person defacing the monument please tell us and we will deal with the situation in as humane a way as possible.

Dunnes Stores Bag Pack

Yet again volunteers from Tidy Towns and the PCA together with pupils of the Community School banded together to collect over €2,000 for Tidy towns and the PCA last September at Dunnes Stores. This is an important source of income which we really appreciate. Out thanks to manager Tom Worrell and his staff for accommodating us. We wish Dunnes stores well in their new upgrading of the store – it is scheduled to commence in February and be completed during the Summer

Representation by the PCA

The PCA represent our village on the following committees1. Forum2. Public Participation Network for Fingal - Local Community Development Committee- Water and the Environment Linkage Group- Transport Linkage Group- Planning and Strategic infrastructure Linkage Group - Economic Development, Enterprise and tourism Linkage Group 3. Dublin Airport Stakeholders ForumFacilities for the Elderly in PortmarnockThe number of people in Portmarnock over 65 years of age has now reached 1,752. OECD Figures indicate that there should be 58 nursing home places per thousand people over 65. In relation to those persons over 80 years of age there is a requirement for long term care for 22% of those over 80 years of age. There are 167 persons over 80 in Portmarnock. It is the intention of the PCA to establish a group to investigate the possibility of ensuring that there are sufficient places in nursing homes for our elderly population As the years pass the numbers of elderly will continue to climb. Local RepresentativesI would like to thank all our local representatives both in the Council and in the Dail. They have been extremely supportive of us on all local issues. I would like especially thank Brian McDonagh. Brian puts in more hours than the vast majority of councillors – we are lucky to have him on our side. Finally I would like to thank all my colleagues on the committee. Events do not happen by themselves – they are organised and arranged by one or more people on the committee. They just go off and do it. It is great to be part of such a tremendous self motivated group Thank you all - Pat Suttle 20/11/2017.

The P.C.A. has several current projects the most urgent being the preparation for the Tidy Towns inspection later in the year. We would ask all residents and visitors to help by making sure your surroundings make you proud.

Anyone who is interested in helping out can contact the committee at portmarnock1@gmail.com and also check out the Tidy Towns booklet

We have 10am Saturday cleanups every 2 weeks starting on the 8th of April meeting at the kiosk on the seafront.

Several people already do daily cleanups, thank you folks.

JOIN FORUM ( Fingal Organised Residents United Movement)

Forum represents Local Communities and Residents living in the vicinity of the airport and seeks to ensure that the DAA are not allowed overturn the existing planning conditions 3 & 5 which deal with runway usage and 65 limited night time flights when the new runway is built .

Shane Ross has announced that a new EU Regulation 598/14 which deals with a balanced approach to airport noise will be adopted into Irish Law and the competent Authority appointed ( The Irish Aviation Authority) will not be bound by the existing preconditions .Thus local communities have effectively lost the protection of night time noise limitations granted by an Bord Pleanala.

Forum wants its members to stand united and oppose this . We want to be part of the discussions rather than left on the side lines and told what has been decided !

We want people to sign up to FORUM so that we will be a large movemnet and our voices taken Seriously

Article on Recent beach closure and Irish Waters response- Page 4

New Airport Runway:

Notice of DAA public information and consultations

June 24th & 25th : Roganstown Hotel and Country Club

July 1st & 2nd : The Grand Hotel , Malahide

Have your say on who should have Patronage of the New 1000 Pupil Secondary School to be built in the Portmarnock/ Malahide area in 2017

Deadline for completion of expression of interest form below is Tuesday 7th June 2016

A New 1000 pupil Secondary School is planned for the Portmarnock /Malahide area in 2017. The Dept of Education have not announced where it will be built but they are giving parents an opportunity to have their say on who will have patronage..

Dun Laoghaire ETB who have 27 Multi- denominational , Co-educational, Inclusive Community Colleges in Dublin County are asking you to consider them and complete the expression of Interest form below.

The Department of Education will decide who gets Patronage based on the number of expression of interest received

If you want the new school to have ETB Patronage please complete the form below .

Portmarnock Tidy Towns 2016 Entry :

Click on red icons to see areas already adopted ! . Register your details and area you are adopting by sending an email to Portmarnock1@gmail.com. We will then put you on the map!

Report by Swords Gazette on Lidl Planning permission- See Page 2

Lidl Update: Permission Granted

The Inspector recommended Refusal of planning but the Board overturned his decision by 2:1

If you would like to be kept updated about the runway and other local issues by E-mail please send your details via our " Contact Us" page

Portmarnock Community Association

Portmarnock Community Association aims to preserve the environment of
Portmarnock for the enjoyment and health of the community and to
welcome visitors who respect and enjoy our wonderful area.

The Portmarnock Community Association committee meets on a monthly
basis to review current issues affecting Portmarnock. The committee is
elected at the Annual General Meeting which is usually held in early
December. Minutes of the monthly meetings can be found on the Latest
News page.

If you have a smart phone download a free decibel meter and record the noise of aircraft flying over your house . Send the results to portmarnock1@gmail.com like the following . 02/05/2016 2pm Dart station 69 decibels ( outside) or (inside) and we will map the results on this map

This way we will build a picture of the current noise levels in the Portmarnock area before the new runway is built.

Portmarnock Aircraft Noise Levels

Portmarnock Community Association (PCA) represents the local community and focuses on any issues which may effect the people of Portmarnock and their enjoyment and quality of life living in Portmarnock. The PCA committee meet once a month to discuss local issues such as commercial planning, Environmental matters such as Beach cleaning, Greater Dublin Drainage , new runway proposal etc and Tidy Towns among other things .. all things local .

With the DAA proposing to go ahead with the new runway this will now impact on the people of North Portmarnock as well as those already under the existing flight path in South Portmarnock . This will lead to an 2 fold increase in noise levels in the Portmarnock area

The DAA publish Noise contour maps and more information about these can be obtained on their website here

The World Health Organisation has published night noise guidelines for Europe which lays out the effect noise can have on your health especially at night and is recommending 40 decibels as a recommended maximum that doesn’t impinge on your health

With this in mind PCA came up with an idea to try and map current aircraft noise levels in the Portmarnock area . The idea is for people with smart phones would download a free decibel/ sound meter onto their phone and take a reading anytime they experience a noisy aircraft flying over head.

They would then send a record of that decibel reading together with the date, time ,location and whether the reading was taken inside or outside to PCA at portmarnock1@gmail.com and we would then add an icon with that detail onto a map on our website www.portmarnock.org.

The data would be available for all to see on our website and if enough people send readings in we will get a better understanding of how people are affected particularly those living under the flight path. People can zoom in on the map, click any icon and see the noise levels recorded for a particular location.

While this does not purport to be an exact scientific study it is a simple way to build up a picture of current aircraft noise levels in the Portmarnock area

Portmarnock Tidy Towns 2016

Adopt a Patch Scheme

Adopt a patch is a Tidy Towns initative to encourage people to take care of a little part of portmarnock. Whether you look after a little flower bed in your estate or keeping a green area near you free of litter it all helps to keep Portmarnock Beautiful and helps out entry in the Tidy Towns Competition.

Please download a leaflet and register

Thank you

Click below for the forms

Drone Video of the Velvet strand

Lovely Video from Malahide through Portmarnock to Howth

LATEST NEWS

14th April

New Runway flight path.... we are waiting on an official map from DAA but in the meantime here is what we are getting by drawing a straight line on a google map from the proposed runway location directly over Portmarnock . Click here for larger picture

7th April

The DAA are releasing a press release today regarding the descision to go ahead with the new runway. It is expected to be completed by 2020.

The DAA state that they are committed to engaging with the local community to ensure the best outcome for all stakeholders . They will offer sound insulation , house buy outs etc to those most severly affected. they will be releasing details of plans over the coming months .

The PCA are meeting with DAA next Monday to discuss these developments and will update this page with news as it unfolds.

PCA will be focusing on the 2 conditions of the 2007 Planning which the DAA wish to change regarding use of runways and the restriction on the number of nighttime flights

In the meantime please find a copy of the press release and a north runway community news update from the DAA below